Internal-combustion engine.



E. A. HAND.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22. 1916.

LEEUAMD Patented. 001:. 1, 191%.

. I I I I INVENTOR ITNESSES n g! I I I 5;! 4%? V y INTERNAL-COMBUSTIONENGINE.

Specification 0 Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 19118..

Application filed December 22, 1916. Serial No. 138,500.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER ALEXANDER HAND, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Walton, in the county of Delaware and State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements 'in- Internal-CombustionEngines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and moreespecially to those which use a mixture of h dro-carbon. and water orsteam; and the ob ect of my invention is to produce an attachment whichmay be readily applied to most types of engines now employed inautomobiles, by means of which a desired proportion of hot water can betaken from the radiator and vaporized or atomized and supplied to themixture flowing from the carbureter to the cylinders. I find that thevaporizing of the water is most easily efiected and that the resultsachieved are most satisfactory, when hot air is used, and accordingly Iapply a drum to the exhaust manifold and pipe the hot air from this drumto the air inlet of the carbureter, and it is a branch from this pipewhich is led to the atomizer.

Further details are explained in the following specification and shownin the drawings wherein: t

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine and radiator indiagram,showing the application of this attachment thereto.

F-i 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the attac ment.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic section illustrative of the source from whichthe hot air is drawn.

In the drawings I have used the letter E to designate broadly theengine, R the radiator, P a pipe returning water from the jackets of theengine to the radiator, C the carbureter, and M the exhaust manifold;and these parts may have their usual or any preferred construction andlocation. I preferably employ a drum 1 partly or wholly surrounding theexhaust manifold and having air inlets 2 at suitable points, and the airtherein is heated and conducted through a pipe 3 to the air intake ofthe carbureter G. No novelty is claimed for this detail alone, as Iunderstand it is quite common to heat the air that is supplied to thecarbureter, but ll make use of the heated air flowing-through the pipe3, as will be seen From a in said. pipe I branch another pipe throughpoint 4;

which warm air is led to the air inlet of my atomizer, best seen in'Fi2. From any suitable point connected wit 1 the radiator, preferably apoint 6 in the water-return pipe P, I lead another pipe 7 which isconnected to the water inlet of the atomizer as seen in Fig. 2. Saidatomizer as a Whole maybe located near the carbureter, in rear of theradiator R, and out of the way under the hood, as seen in Fig. 1,although ll do not wish to be limited in this respect.

The atomizer itself'comprises a tubular body 10and a branch 13 leadingobliquely into the body near its outlet end. The water pipe 7 leadsthrough a control valve 17 and thence into the inlet end of the body,

and the air pipe 5 leads through a control valve 15 into the outer endof the branch 13, the inner end of the latter communicating at 14: withthe bore of the body near the outlet end of the latter. Within said boreis located a spray nozzle 16 of an exterior diameter smaller than saidbore, and whose purpose is to break up or atomize the inflowing water,whereas the air admitted at the point 14 flows all around this nozzleand past its tip, and its urpose is to vaporize the water or spray.onnected with the body 10 is an outlet pipe 18 which leads from theatomizer to the intake manifold betweenthe carbureter and the engine.

When now this attachment is applied and the engine started, the suctionwithin its cylinders is communicated back through the pipe 18 and drawsair through the branch 13 and pipe 3 from the air heater, which isherein described as the drum 1. Said suction also draws water from thenozzle 16, which water is supplied through the pipe 7 from a suitablepoint in the radiator or the pipe P thereof. The Water is broken up oratomized by the nozzle, and is vaporized by the rush of hot air pastsuch nozzle, and the suction draws this vapor into the mixture producedby the carbureter, and dilutes said mixture at a point between thecarbureter and the cylinders.

l find by experience that when the mixture is so diluted with vapor orsteam, much better results are attained, with less consumption of fuel.The obvious use of the valves 15 and 17 is to regulate the admission ofhot air and water so as to produce the best results, according to therequirements of the engine and the variations in the tempera andhumidity at the to time air can be shut off entirely at 15, and waterpermitted to flow into the cylinders to flush them and drive out theloose particles of carbon.

What is claimed as new is:

In combination with an internal combustion engine, a drum surroundingthe exhaust pipe and a pipe leadin from said drum to the air intake ofthe car ureter; an atomizer connected with the intake manifold andcomprising a body provided with a horizontal bore and an upwardlyinclined bore communicating therewith, a branch pipe connected with saidhot-air pipe and communicating with said inclined bore, said body beingprovided with a passage leading into said horizontal bore, a nozzleextending into said horizontal bore and threaded into the outer end ofsaid passage and communicating with the water supply system of the en-vgine.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ELMER ALEXANDER HAND.

